Chapter 9, “A False Sense of Security”

With just two weeks to go until Christmas, the holiday season was in full swing in Port Charles. And for Courtney, the season had never been so magical before. With every new flake of snow that fell from the sky, with every frenzied shopper that she passed on the way to the mall, and with every spirited customer who came into Kelly’s or who inquired about the boutique, she felt a little rush of holiday tingle from her head all the way to the tips of her toes.

On this particular day, she was just rushing into Kelly’s to start her shift, having come from the boutique just moments before. As she scooted behind the counter just in time to beat the clock, she noticed Bobbie watching her out of the corner of her eye.

“What…do I have something on my face?” she asked with a smile as she looked all around to try to figure out what Bobbie was staring at.

Bobbie shook her head and walked a few steps closer, putting her hands on Courtney’s flushed cheeks. “No, my dear…you just have such a peaceful look about you these days. Everything in your life is really falling into place, isn’t it? I mean, I’ve heard from Carly that you’re getting along really well at the penthouse, and that you’ve really been instrumental in helping her to get her business off the ground. Plus, you haven’t missed so much as one shift here. And yet, you come in every day with a smile on your face and a bounce in your step!”

Courtney blushed a little as she realized that perhaps she had been a tad overly-cheery lately. But she couldn’t help it! The construction on the boutique was so ahead of schedule that they were planning on having the grand opening in two days. Her relationship with Sonny had never been better. In Carly, she had found a close girl friend to confide in. And Jason…she could barely even think of his name without a huge smile spreading across her lips. The past two weeks had really been amazing for the two of them. Not only had they spent a lot of time together at the boutique, but Jason had been joining them frequently for dinner, and then sometimes even sticking around to curl up in her room with her and watch a movie afterward. And to top it all off, Sonny had barely spoken a gruff word about it.

“I just…I’m really happy for the first time in months,” she said honestly as she moved to tie her apron around her waist. “My divorce is proceeding along smoothly since AJ can’t really contest it, I have two and not just one amazing job, and I’m in a really good place in my personal life. I absolutely love being able to feel like somebody’s sister, somebody’s aunt, and somebody’s friend. I just…I love having people around me! Does that sound crazy?”

“Absolutely not!” Bobbie exclaimed and laughed. “Especially during this time of the year, I think it’s really nice to be close to your family and friends. Granted, my family hasn’t exactly had a great year…we’ve had some rocky times…but I wouldn’t trade moments with Lulu, Lucas, or any of the other children or family members for anything in the world!”

“Lulu is such a cute little girl,” Courtney agreed. “I just love to watch little kids’ faces light up during the holiday season. After I get off tonight, Carly, Sonny, Jason and I are taking Michael to pick out a Christmas tree. He’s sooo excited.”

Bobbie raised her eyebrows. “You and Jason are both very fond of that little boy, aren’t you? He’s very lucky to have two people, aside from his parents, who care about him so much.”

“You know…I never thought much about being an aunt before I moved in with Sonny and Carly. I was never close to Sonny, and that prevented me from getting to know Michael. And I had known…because of the situation with AJ…that Jason really had a hand in raising Michael before Carly married Sonny. It’s just…funny…how things worked out. Both Jason and I get to spend a lot of time with Michael now without things being really uncomfortable.”

Bobbie nodded and watched quietly as Courtney began to go about her business, going from customer to customer to make sure everyone was taken care of. She couldn’t help but to observe the sparkle in Courtney’s eye every time Jason’s name was brought up. Of course, Courtney had generally been happy overall in the past month or so, but just the mention of Jason caused a whole different kind of reaction in her. Naturally, Courtney would never come right out and admit that, but Bobbie had a feeling that it wouldn’t be long until all of Port Charles saw the depth of both Jason and Courtney’s real feelings.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Jason sat on the floor of Sonny and Carly’s penthouse living room, patiently watching Michael push his model train around and around the track that they had set up together.

The auburn-haired youngster was busy making “chugga-chugga” noises and zipping all over the room; Jason was pretty sure that he was oblivious to his presence.

Sighing, he looked at his watch and got up, wishing it was two-and-a-half hours later.

He smiled a little as he realized that yet again, he was thinking about Courtney. He really couldn’t help himself. He could just picture her now, with snow in her hair and the smell of pine lingering in the air as they went to pick out the perfect tree. Of course, it wouldn’t be the most intimate outing, since they’d be accompanied by his two best friends and Michael, but Jason still intended on making the most of every second he spent with Courtney.

As if on cue, Sonny walked in the main door and interrupted his thoughts. “Hey…Carly’s not back yet?” he asked as he started to unbutton his long black coat and scarf.

“She called and said she’d be at the boutique for another hour,” Jason responded. I think she’s going to swing by Kelly’s and walk home with Courtney, and then they’re both going to meet us here. That is…unless you want me to go meet Courtney, and you, Michael and Carly can meet us at the tree farm?” he quickly offered.

Sonny’s head snapped up and he looked at Jason with an odd expression on his face. “What…what’s the difference?” he asked. “We can all go together. No big deal.”

“No difference, I guess,” Jason said and shrugged. “I just, uh…I just didn’t know if we were all going to go in the limo, or what. I mean, it’s not exactly the most appropriate way to lug a tree home. Plus, you know…Courtney’s not exactly a limo type of girl.”

“What do you mean…about Courtney?” Sonny asked as his eyes narrowed. “She got a problem with something I don’t know about? Or is that…is it just your interpretation of what she likes?”

Jason decided to just try to drop it. Sonny’s voice was getting a little edgy, and he didn’t want Michael to pick up on that. “You know what? Forget I said anything,” he said easily as he took a seat on the couch. “We’ll all go in the limo, and that will be fine.”

“Good.” Sonny walked over to the wet bar and poured himself a small amount of scotch, then turned around to face Jason again. “Look, Jase…I’m not saying this to be difficult or anything…but I’m tryin’ real hard to get closer to my sister. I just don’t need anyone telling me what she does or doesn’t like. I think I need to figure that out for myself…ya know?”

Jason nodded and was quiet for a moment as he rested his head in his hands, trying to keep himself from saying anything else that would upset Sonny. That wasn’t his intention at all. But for some reason, however, he couldn’t seem to keep his mouth shut.

“Sonny? I know you’re trying really hard with Courtney. I get that, and I respect it. But you know there’s going to come a day…probably in the not-so-distant-future…when she’s going to be standing on her own two feet again. She can’t stay here forever.”

Sonny sat down next to him. “I know that, Jason. But it’s…it’s just been nice having her here. Carly likes her…Michael likes her…” he trailed off.

“I like her, too.”

It was a simple and quiet admission, not meant to be much more than a stated fact, but something in the tone of Jason’s voice caught Sonny off guard. He looked sideways at his friend and could almost swear he saw…longing?…in Jason’s eyes. But no, it couldn’t be. Jason and his little sister were just friends. Jason himself had said he considered Courtney to be nothing more than a “job” to him. Then again, Sonny had noticed them hanging around each other more and more lately. And Carly had mentioned on more than one occasion how she thought Jason and Courtney would be an ideal couple. Suddenly, it was all starting to make sense.

Sonny swigged back the rest of his drink. “Yeah…I bet you like her,” he replied rather sarcastically. “You come to me…what, a month ago? You tell me she’s just a job to you, and now I see you….I see you hanging around her all the time. If you changed your mind and you wanna be looking out for my sister, that’s fine. She needs a good friend. But don’t you let it become…more than that.”

Jason got quiet for a moment. It was one thing to disregard Sonny’s warnings or to go around behind his back, but up until now, he had done neither. He and Courtney had made no secret of the time they had been spending together lately, nor had they crossed the line beyond friendship since their last kiss at her old apartment. But right now, he felt the need to defend his actions, and Courtney’s.

“And what about…what about what Courtney wants?” Jason asked quietly as he gazed over at Michael, who was still oblivious to their conversation. He then looked back at Sonny. “You don’t want your sister to be happy?”

Sonny got up and again and walked over to refill his drink, trying to make a point by speaking while he had his back to Jason. “Courtney is happy, from what I can tell. She’s uh, rebuilding her life, you know? She doesn’t need…complications.” He turned back around and bent down to collect some of Michael’s toys that were strewn across the floor. “Especially complications from people who…who don’t know what they want, either.”

Jason raised his eyebrows at this last statement. Hadn’t he made it perfectly clear what he wanted? He hadn’t pursued a relationship with Liz, and he hadn’t so much as looked at another woman in Port Charles since he started guarding Courtney. She, along with Carly and Michael, had become his top priority. It was like he had gained an instant family - one that he devoted all of his time to. And still, he managed not to miss any of Sonny’s business meetings or any odd jobs that he had to do for him. It was like a whole different, 100% responsible side of Jason had come out in the past few months. Couldn’t Sonny see that for himself, or was he just choosing not to?

Not knowing what to say next, he sighed quietly and grabbed his jacket, which was resting on the back of the sofa. “Look, I have some things to take care of at my place,” he said easily. “Why don’t you just come by and knock when you’re all ready to go?” And before Sonny could get a word in edgewise, he was gone.

Michael looked up in surprise as he heard the door click shut, and then glanced up at his father. “You know, daddy…you really shouldn’t make uncle Jason mad,” he observed as he continued to push his train around the track. “I like uncle Jason…and aunt Courtney, too. Maybe you better say you’re sorry. Mommy always tells me to say I’m sorry if I make someone upset.”

Sonny crouched down and ruffled Michael’s hair, and then looked his son in the eye. “Uncle Jason isn’t mad, okay champ? Uncle Jason just doesn’t like to admit when daddy is right.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Courtney looked across the limo at Jason, and was met with a pair of frustrated and somewhat sad blue eyes. So far tonight, he had seemed distant and preoccupied, and she wished so badly that she would be able to get him alone just for a few moments, so she could find out what was troubling him. When they had talked earlier in the day at the boutique, he had seemed really upbeat and was looking forward to their tree outing. Now, he almost looked like he would rather be anywhere else.

It certainly didn’t help that Sonny was a virtual bundle of energy tonight, chatting nonstop since her arrival at the penthouse, and also making her sit with him during the ride. And Carly, who was sitting next to Jason, was talking to Michael about getting the biggest tree on the lot, so she seemed pretty oblivious of the tension that engulfed the inside of the vehicle.

“So like I was saying, Benny is still hesitant to come in the penthouse because of your ferocious golden retriever, Courtney. Isn’t that funny? Benny, of all people!” Sonny rambled on, then stopped when he noticed that his sister was barely paying him any attention.

“Courtney?”

She finally tore her gaze away from Jason’s, and turned to face her brother. “What…I’m sorry, Sonny. What were you saying?”

Sonny looked out the window and shook his head. “Nothing. We’re here, anyway.”

They were slowly making their way up an old, winding dirt road that was dotted on each side with tons of lit-up trees and holiday light displays. A blinking red sign reading “Port Charles Tree Farm Wishes You A Merry Christmas” was greeting them in the distance, where they would stop the car and start their scavenger hunt. With the few inches of snow that remained on the ground from the last storm, it looked like a setting straight out of a movie.

“Man!! This is sooo cool!!” Michael exclaimed as they all watched other families dragging their selected trees through the lot. Sonny and Carly exchanged amused glances over his head as they evacuated the limo, the rest of the night forgotten as they watched their son get caught up in the magic of the moment.

Jason and Courtney got out right behind them, with Jason finally feeling comfortable for the first time since storming out of Sonny’s penthouse earlier. He put his hand on the small of Courtney’s back and gave her a small nod, trying to explain to her with his eyes that they would talk later. She understood and returned his gesture with a small smile, then let out a breath she hadn’t even realized she was holding. It really killed her inside sometimes to think that Jason was unhappy, especially when her gut feeling told her that she might be the cause of the tension between him and Sonny.

“Okay, so where should be start?” Carly asked as they all started venturing toward the largest cluster of trees. Michael, of course, was already rushing ahead of everyone. “Honey, be careful and wait for us to catch up!” she yelled.

Sonny turned back to look at Jason and Courtney. “Well, Michael wants the biggest tree, so I guess we should all uh…keep our eyes peeled. Someone yell when you see something, okay? And if we get separated, lets meet back here in this clearing.”

Jason nodded and lightly grabbed Courtney by the elbow to stall her when Sonny turned around again. When she looked at him questioningly, he let Sonny and Carly get at least several steps ahead of them before he smoothly reached down and took her gloved hand in his, and then they continued walking again. She looked down at their linked fingers and smiled into the dark, loving the little rush she got just from the simplest things. Jason always seemed to be surprising her lately.

They continued through the maze of pine, laughing as Michael surveyed each and every inch of the potential selections. If one had a trunk that was smaller than the last, then it was crossed off of the list in the child’s mind. And of course, whichever tree they would end up taking home had to have a pointed top that was suitable for him to place the star upon.

There were also plenty of other kids running here and there, shouting out to one another and throwing snowballs. It was like a winter wonderland, complete with sleds to rent and the hustle and bustle of busy parents sawing and trimming. What nobody noticed amidst the flurry of activity, however, was a lone man with a dark ski mask covering his face, peering through the crowd with narrowed eyes as he watched his soon-to-be-former wife linking arms with his brother and gazing up at him with total adoration in her eyes. It made him sick just to think about it, but seeing it in person was a whole different story.

He stifled an evil laugh and reached into the pocket of the camouflage outfit he had stolen earlier in the day, wrapping his fingers around the cool metal of the 9mm pistol. The thought of revenge had kept him going the entire time he was in prison, and tonight, Jason was finally going to know how it felt to lose. He would take the one thing that meant the most to him. After all, if he couldn’t have Courtney…nobody would.